The initiative is intended to honor one of the most evocative sites of the christian faith and at the same time celebrate the "birth" of a new millennium. The Great Jubilee will open simultaneously on 24 December this year in Rome and the Holy Land, a land that today is reaffirming its profound and universal message of peace, tolerance and brotherhood, despite the difficulties and divisions that have marked its history.

Some three million visitors and pilgrims are expected to visit Bethlehem during the year 2000. They will certainly visit the site of the holy grotto just outside the ancient village, on which the Emperor Constantine ordered the construction of a basilica worthy of the mystery commemorated at the site, which was later rebuilt by Emperor Justinian. Time may have dulled the brilliance of the mosaics and marble, but it has left untouched the severe nobility of the building that leads into the intimacy of the grotto at the end of the central nave. Together with St. Peter's Cathedral, this hallowed place will be the focus of millions on the night of 24^th December as a worldwide TV coverage will connect Bethlehem to the world. It is the of heart and spirit which this exhibition aims to reveal.

The event has been made possible through the collaboration of the Agency, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Bethlehem 2000 Project promoted by the Palestinian National Authority, a Project which envisages investment to improve the city's infrastructure, restore cultural heritage sites and promote tourism.